The first American Cruise Lines ship this season will drop anchor in Charlotte Harbor on Nov. 29. Tenders will bring American Legend passengers to the dock at Fishermen’s Village.
“We are delighted to, once again this year, be the host location for visits to Punta Gorda via the American Cruise Lines Ships,” Fishermen’s Village Marketing and Events Manager Kathy Burnam said.
Arrival time is estimated at 12:30 p.m.
From Fishermen’s Village, buses will transport passengers to excursions offered by the cruise line.
This year’s excursions include the Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens, Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor for use of its pool, a complimentary excursion to the Military Heritage Museum, Iguanaland, Artisan Village at Punta Gorda History Park and the Visual Arts Center.
Due to last year’s popularity of its Florida Gulf Coast & Keys Cruise, American Cruise Lines added a second ship — the line’s newest ship, American Legend, which will join the American Glory.
The vessels will drop anchor a combined 27 times this season in Charlotte Harbor on Day 6 of the line’s eight-day, seven-night cruise.
The roundtrip cruise departing from St. Petersburg visits Marco Island, Key West and Punta Gorda.
The American Legend will have its official christening ceremony Nov. 27 when the ship is docked at Mallory Square in Key West.
American Cruise Lines’ Legend and Glory ships are smaller than most commercial cruise ships, which couldn’t traverse the waters of the 9-foot-deep Charlott Harbor at the mouth of the Peace River in Punta Gorda. They are coastal cats carrying just 100 passengers. The shallow draft of the vessels allows rare access into small ports and the ability to travel on almost any river or waterway.
But the ships are still too large to dock at Fishermen’s Village, so tenders will bring the passengers to the docks of the shopping and dining destination.
Besides being American Cruise Lines’ newest ship, American Legend is the newest cruise ship in the country and American Cruise Lines’ 19th new small ship and the line’s fourth 100-passenger Coastal Cat and its second new ship this year.
American Cruise Lines officials said Punta Gorda was a popular destination last year and will be on the itinerary for future cruises.
The American Pioneer and American Patriot are being built in 2025 and will bring passengers to Punta Gorda for the line’s Grand Florida Coast & Keys Cruise beginning in October 2026.
There are two itineraries for the cruise —16 day and 15 nights, 15 days and 14 nights.
Another new ship, American Maverick, will be built in 2026 and will also be used for the line’s Grand Florida Coast & Keys Cruise in late 2026.
So far, cruises to Punta Gorda have been planned through the end of November 2027.
After weathering a few hurricanes and undergoing repairs and renovations, Fishermen’s Village officials and the county’s tourism director couldn’t be happier to have reopened many venues and are ready to welcome visitors this season.
Welcoming the news is county Tourism Director Sean Doherty who said recently, “We are definitely excited to hear that they’re planning to add to their total number of cruises, as well as include our destination in a new itinerary for the 2025-26 season.”
“Doing the quick math, I believe the capacity of visitation with those additional cruises could double the number of visitors to the destination and the corresponding economic impact. While we understand the passengers are only on land to explore our destination for a few hours, it is the exposure to the area of these visitors, many of whom we expect are first-time visitors, that carries a lot of value in addition to the direct economic impact. We’ll continue to work with American Cruise Lines to coordinate partnerships with our local industry to provide unique, memorable experiences that may entice the visitor to return for a future multiday visit.”
